Spring-power motor.



No. 827,647. PATENTED JULY 31, 1906.

W. J. MEYER.

SPRING POWER MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.26,1901.

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PATBNTED JULY 31, 1906.

W. J, MEYER. SPRING POWER MOTOR. APPLICATION FILED DE O.-28, 1901.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 31, 1906.

Applioation'filed December 26,1901. Serial No. 87,198.

T0 or whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. MEYER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State ofWisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Spring-PowerMotors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to spring-motors.

The objects of the invention are to improve and simplify theconstruction of such devices.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists in a drum having acoil-spring secured thereto and located therein, an arbor to which theinner end of the spring is removably secured, said arbor having a hollowshaft, and a fly-wheel shaft extending through the hollow shaft of thearbor and having fiy-wheels thereon, said fly-wheel shaft being in gearwith said drum, whereby as the spring expands and rotates the drum therotation thereof is transmitted to the fly-wheels, for which reason whenthe spring is entirely expanded the momentum of the fly-wheels causesthe drum to continue its rotation until such momentum is exhausted, andas the continued rotation of the drum causes the inner end of the springto become disengaged from the arbor said spring is prevented fromoffering resistance to said continued rotation of the drum. In thismanner the maximum power is secured during the operation of a motor. Itwill be understood that the drum in addition to its gear connection withthe fly-wheel shaft is also geared to a suitable power-shaft.

Referring to the drawings, wherein is illustrated a practical embodimentof the invention, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of a motorembodying the features of the invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation ofthe motor, showing the one fly-wheel removed.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate correspondingparts in both views.

The numeral 1 designates a base having end uprights 2 rising therefrom.Frame plates or members 3 and 4 also rise from the base to a suitableelevation, the plate or member 4 being located outside of and closer toone of the plates or members 3 than the other, and the latter are spacedapart a distance sufficient to conveniently accommodate the mechanismslocated therebetween. The successful operation of the motor is notdependent on any particular construction of the frame.

At suitable elevations the uprights 2 have ball-bearing boxes 5 securedthereon, in which the opposite extremities of a longitudinally-disposedfly-wheel shaft 6 have bearing, and keyed to the said shaft are fly-Wheels 7 of equal dimensions and weight. Between the members or plates 3a springdrum 8 is disposed and includes in its structure a spring-arbor9, fast to a tubular arborshaft 10, surrounding the fly-wheel shaft 6,the latter shaft running loose in the arborshaft.- Within the drum aspring 11 is disposed and has one extremity secured to the inner portionof the periphery of said drum and the opposite extremity constructed toconnect with the arbor 9 and capable of an automatic detachment from thelatter to prevent an obstruction to the operation of the motor after thespring has become fully unwound and expended its resilient force. Theone extremity of the arbor-shaft 10 is projected over the shaft 6outside of the one plate or member 3, and keyed thereon is a windingmaster-gear 12, having the inner portion of its hub provided with aratchetwheel 13, which is continually engaged by a spring-actuated pawl14 to prevent backlash of the said master-gear during the windingoperation, as will be readily understood. The motor, as shown, isequipped with two sets of winding devices for manual operations, eitherof which may be used at the will of the operator or to accommodatedifferent applications of the improved device, and it will be obviousthat in some instances one of such winding devices may be used alone inpreference to the other. Both manually-operated winding mechanisms showninclude, however, a winding-shaft 15, on which is keyed a pinion 16,meshing with an intermediate spur-gear 17, in turn meshing with themaster-gear 12. One extremity of the shaft 15 is projected outwardly atone end of the motor and has a crank-handle or analogous device 18 fixedthereon, as clearly shown by Fig. 1. As before indicated, thiscrank-bandle may at times be used as the sole manual operative means forwinding the motor; but in some instances it will be preferred also touse an additional means consisting of a handwheel 19, secured to acounter-shaft 20, on which is fixed a bevel-pinion 21, meshing with acorresponding pinion 22 on the inner end or extremity of thewinding-shaft 15.

The drum 8 has one of itsend inclosures or walls 23 projected beyond theperiphery of spur-gears 26 and 27 are respectively mounted, and fromsaid spur-gears 26 and 27 the resilient actuating .force of the spring11 is directly taken and transmitted by the devices which will behereinafter explained to a power-shaft 28, located in the lower portionof one side of the motor. The means for transmitting the force of thespring 11 from the spur-gears 26 and 27 to the power-shaft is capable ofa wide range of variation, and it is obvious that it will be necessaryto obviate a rapid run off or ex enditure of the force of the spring andto uti ize either compensating gears or other devices for producing therequired speed without detracting to any material extent from the power.

As shown in the figures of the drawings, the intermediate mechanismbetween the gears 26 and 27 and the power-shaft 28 comprises a series ofthree spur-gears 29, 30, and 31, held on suitable stub-shafts secured tothe one outer plate 3 and the plate 4, this inter mediate mechanismbeing duplicated on opposite sides of the drum, so as to equalize thedriving force by a transmission thereof to different portions of thepower-shaft. The stubshaft 32 of the spur-gear 29 also has a pinion 33thereon fixed to the spur-gear 29, which is held incontinual mesh witheither the transmitting spur-gear 26 or the spur-gear 27, and on thestub shaft 34 of the gear 30 is a similar pinion 35, held in continualmesh with the gear 29, the latter also engaging a pinion 36 on thefly-wheel shaft 6, and through the me dium of the said pinion 36 drivingpower is applied to said fly-wheel shaft, and as the transmittingmechanism is duplicated on opposite sides of the drum the fly-wheelshaft will also have the driving power applied thereto at two oppositepoints, with material advantage from a standpoint of equilibrium. Thepowershaft 28 at opposite points has power-receiving gears 37 securedthereto, with which the gears 31 are held in continual mesh, the gears37 having a greater width than the gears 31. It is proposed to supplythe several gears and pinions just set forth with antifrictionalbearings, so as to cause the said gears to run smoothly and evenly andwithout lost motion.

It will be seen from the above description, taken in connection with thedrawings, that as long as the spring is under sufficient tension toexert an expansive force the fly-wheel shaft will be positively rotatedby the force of the spring transmitted from the springdrum to thefly-wheel shaft through the interposed gearing. When the spring has be:come unwound to such an extent as to lose itsexpansive force, it will bereadily seen that if the inner end of the spring were rigidly secured tothe shaft as soon as the outer coils engaged the inner face of the drumthe movement of the entire mechanism would be retarded. By revolublymounting the drum on the flywheel shaft this objection is overcome,since when the spring loses its force the fly-wheel shaft will continueto rotate by reason of the momentum gained by the flywheels, and throughthe interposed gearing the spring-drum and the arbor 9 will be caused torotate with the shaft until the said shaft has lost its momentum.

By the arrangement described the flywheels are held in positiveengagement with the spring and are directly influenced thereby as longas it has any appreciable expansive force; but immediately upon the lossof such force the spring will have no effect upon the,

shaft, which will continue to rotate and furnish additional power tooperate the powershaft until the momentum of the fly-wheels subsides. Bythis form of spring and flywheel construction the spring has no effectupon the mechanism to retard it by reason of the rewinding of the outercoils after its force has been expended; but by reason of the arborbeing revolubly supported its influence will be automaticallydiscontinued, and the fly-wheels will alone continue for an appreciableinterval to supply the power to the mechanism.

I I have supported the fly-wheels independently of the power-shaft inorder that the shaft 28, upon which the fly-wheels are mounted, will notbe affected by the load on the power-shaft and inorder that the springwill be more directly influenced by the mo mentum thereof. In order thatthe momentum of the fly-wheels may be utilized to continue the rotationof the drum after the spring has spent its force, the inner end of saidspring is secured to the arbor by any suitable automatic detachabledevices.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new is Ina spring-motor, a drum, power means operated by said drum, an arborhaving a hollow shaft, means for winding said arbor, a spring connectedat its outer end with said drum and detachably connected at its innerend with said arbor, the detachable connection between the spring andthe arbor being such that said spring is automatically detached from thearbor by the continued rotation of the arbor after the spring has becomecom letely expanded, a fly-wheel shaft eX- I tending through the hollowshaft of said arbor, gearing connecting said drum With said flywheelshaft, and a plurality of fly-Wheels 5 upon said fly-Wheel shaft, one ofsaid flywheels being disposed on each side of said drum and arbor. l

in presence of two Witnesses;

' WILLIAM J. MEYER.

Witnesses:

CHAS. S. HYER, GEORGE M. BOND.

In testimony whereof I affix my si nature

